BACKGROUND: Measures of fear of falling have not yet been validated in patients with dementia, leaving a methodological gap that limits research in a population at high risk of falling and fall-related consequences. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are to determine: (1) the validity of the 7-item Short Falls Efficacy Scale International (Short FES-I) in geriatric patients with and without cognitive impairment, and (2) the sensitivity to change of the 10-item Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), the 16-item FES-I and the 7-item Short FES-I in geriatric patients with dementia. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of community-dwelling older adults and geriatric rehabilitation patients (n = 284) collected during face-to-face interviews were used to determine construct and discriminant validity by testing for differences within variables related to fear of falling. Sensitivity to change was studied in an intervention study including patients with mild to moderate dementia (n = 130) as determined by standard response means (SRMs). RESULTS: The Short FES-I showed excellent construct and discriminant validity in the total group and subsamples according to cognitive status. Sensitivity to change was adequate to good in the FES (range SRM: 0.18-0.77) and FES-I (range SRM: 0.21-0.74), with the Short FES-I showing the highest peak sensitivity to change (range SRM: 0.18-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: The Short FES-I is a valid measure to assess fear of falling in frail older adults with and without cognitive impairment, yet it may show floor effects in higher functioning older people. All scales, including the Short FES-I, were sensitive to detecting intervention-induced changes in concerns about falling in geriatric patients with dementia.
BACKGROUND: Measures of fear of falling have not yet been validated in patients with dementia, leaving a methodological gap that limits research in a population at high risk of falling and fall-related consequences. OBJECTIVE: The objectives of this study are to determine: (1) the validity of the 7-item Short Falls Efficacy Scale International (Short FES-I) in geriatric patients with and without cognitive impairment, and (2) the sensitivity to change of the 10-item Falls Efficacy Scale (FES), the 16-item FES-I and the 7-item Short FES-I in geriatric patients with dementia. METHODS: Cross-sectional data of community-dwelling older adults and geriatric rehabilitation patients (n = 284) collected during face-to-face interviews were used to determine construct and discriminant validity by testing for differences within variables related to fear of falling. Sensitivity to change was studied in an intervention study including patients with mild to moderate dementia (n = 130) as determined by standard response means (SRMs). RESULTS: The Short FES-I showed excellent construct and discriminant validity in the total group and subsamples according to cognitive status. Sensitivity to change was adequate to good in the FES (range SRM: 0.18-0.77) and FES-I (range SRM: 0.21-0.74), with the Short FES-I showing the highest peak sensitivity to change (range SRM: 0.18-0.91). CONCLUSIONS: The Short FES-I is a valid measure to assess fear of falling in frail older adults with and without cognitive impairment, yet it may show floor effects in higher functioning older people. All scales, including the Short FES-I, were sensitive to detecting intervention-induced changes in concerns about falling in geriatric patients with dementia.
Authors: Michael Schwenk; Marwan Sabbagh; Ivy Lin; Pharah Morgan; Gurtej S Grewal; Jane Mohler; David W Coon; Bijan Najafi Journal: J Rehabil Res Dev Date: 2016
Authors: Michael T Morgan; Lauren A Friscia; Susan L Whitney; Joseph M Furman; Patrick J Sparto Journal: Otol Neurotol Date: 2013-08 Impact factor: 2.311
Authors: Lora M Giangregorio; Lehana Thabane; Jonathan D Adachi; Maureen C Ashe; Robert R Bleakney; E Anne Braun; Angela M Cheung; Lisa-Ann Fraser; Jenna C Gibbs; Keith D Hill; Anthony B Hodsman; David L Kendler; Nicole Mittmann; Sadhana Prasad; Samuel C Scherer; John D Wark; Alexandra Papaioannou Journal: Phys Ther Date: 2014-05-01
Authors: Martin Mueller; Ralf Strobl; Klaus Jahn; Birgit Linkohr; Karl Heinz Ladwig; Andreas Mielck; Eva Grill Journal: Qual Life Res Date: 2014-04-10 Impact factor: 4.147
Authors: M J Boyce; A B McCambridge; L V Bradnam; C G Canning; N Mahant; F C F Chang; V S C Fung; A P Verhagen Journal: J Neural Transm (Vienna) Date: 2021-07-31 Impact factor: 3.575
Authors: Monika Siegrist; Ellen Freiberger; Christian Hentschke; Martin Halle; Barbara Geilhof; Peter Landendoerfer; Wolfgang Blank; Cornel Christian Sieber Journal: J Gen Intern Med Date: 2021-07-08 Impact factor: 5.128
Authors: Verena Regauer; Eva Seckler; Eva Grill; Richard Ippisch; Klaus Jahn; Petra Bauer; Martin Müller Journal: BMC Fam Pract Date: 2021-05-12 Impact factor: 2.497
Authors: Tobias Braun; Ralf-Joachim Schulz; Julia Reinke; Nico L van Meeteren; Natalie A de Morton; Megan Davidson; Christian Thiel; Christian Grüneberg Journal: BMC Geriatr Date: 2015-05-03 Impact factor: 3.921